Hydraulic press



June 29, 1937. A. K. NOWAK HYDRAULIC PRESS 2 Sheet s-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 29, 1955 June 29, 1937.

A. K. NO'WAK HYDRAULIC PRESS Filed Dec. 29, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 29, 1937 v UNITED STATES HYDRAULIC mass Alois K. Nowak, Evanston, Ill., assignor to Baldwin-Southwark Corporation, a corporation oi Delaware Application December, 1933, SerialNo. 704.468

3 Claims.

This invention relates generally to presses and more particularly to an improved hydraulic press especially adapted for pressing carbon dioxide snow generally referred to as dry ice.

It is one object'of myinventionto provide an improved hydraulic press that avoids the possibility of the hydraulic actuating fluid entering the material chamber or cylinder which would otherwise contaminate the material." It will be understood that the hydraulic actuating fluid is preferablyoil, and henceeven a single drop. of oil on material such asdry ice will noticeably. discolor the same and spread {over an appreciable area thereof. Hence it is of the utmost importance that the press should be arranged to avoid absolutely the possibility of leakage of the hydraulic fluid to the material chamber.

It is also an object of my invention to provide an improved hydraulicpress having a very high degree of structural strength together with a simplicity of design that results in a relatively economical press in manufacture and operation. A more specific object of the invention in this respect is to provide an improved combination columns between a base and an upper stationary platen, as a result of whichthe cylinders, by being considerably larger in diameter than the usual solid joining rods or columns, impart considerable strength and rigidity tothe press while at the same time reducing-its cost and weight.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a press of the above type and tohave the piston rods so combined with the upper stationary crosshead that any leakage of hydraulic, fluid around the packing glands for the piston rods will be entirely free of the chamber in which the material to be pressed is disposed.

Other objects and advantages will be more ap- 40 parent to those skilled "in the art from the following description of ings in which: t

Fig. 1 is avertic al view of the press partly broken away to show details of construction;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of thepress of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical view of a modified form of press, parts of which are broken away to show details of construction. In the particular embodiment of the invention which is disclosed herein merely for the purpose of illustrating one specific form among possible others that the invention might take, I t have shown apress having a base I containinga cyl- .inder 2 and ram 3. This ram carries a movable platen 4. A pair of combined columns and cylwherein the hydraulic cylinders also form joining I the accompanying drawinders 5 and 6 are supported by base i and may if desired be provided with guiding surfaces 1 and 8 engaging platen 4, although under certain circumstances it maybe desirable to allow platen 4 to have clearance with the cylinder columns 5 and 6. These column-cylinders are preferably, but not necessarily, only two in number diametrically opposed and carrying attheir upper ends a I stationary platen 9. This platen may be ade- .quately.secured to the cylinders as by flange bolts .li). Disposed within the cylinders 5 and 6 are pistons l l whose piston rods l2 and I3 extend upwardly through packing glands l4 and I5, it. being noted that the packing glands at their upper ends open directly to atmosphere. t

The piston rods l2 and I3 have a crosshead l6 rigidly secured thereto while a cylindrical ram I1 is securedto crosshead IS in any suitable manner and projects downwardly through a packing gland I8 into a chamber 19. This cylinder is bolted or otherwise suitably secured to the top of stationary platen 9 so that chamber I9 is in alignment with a chamber l9 formed in the platen, these two chambers forming a material chamber which as seen from Figs. 1 and 2 is rectangular in cross-section. The ram I1 has an enlarged head 2| conforming to the shape of chamber 20 which of course may be cylindrical if desired. An annular chamber 22 is formed behind the head 2|.

Operationr- To charge the material chamber 2|], fluid pressure is first admitted through an inlet 23 to raise ram 3 and platen 4 upwardly into sealing contact with the under side of stationary crosshead 9, thereby to close the lower end of the material chamber 20. The material, such as liquid carbon dioxide, or any other material which might/be suitable for this type of press, is admitted through an inlet 24 to the material chamber. When the chamber is sufliciently full as dc:-

termined by pressure or liquid gauges, then in accordance with usual dry ice practice, suction is applied to the material chamber to convert the carbon dioxide into snow. 'I'hereupon hydraulic pressure is'admitted through inlets 25 to the upper side of pistons II for moving the-same downwardly together with their piston rods l2 and i3 and crosshead i6, thereby to move ram l1 and its head 2| downwardly to compress the 'mat-erial within chamber 20. After the material 0 l with the discharge of the dry ice cake, and hence provides a receiving platen for the cake from which it may be removed. The ram I1 is then returned tov its uppermost position as shown in Mg. 1 by the admission of hydraulic pressure through inlets I, fluid from the other side of the pistons being removed. The cycle of operation is:

- then ready to be repeated. 1

From the foregoing disclosure it is seen that any leakage of hydraulic fluid from the upper side of pistons ll will merely discharge through packing gland l4 to the atmosphere without any possi-' bility of entering the material chamber l9. It is also seen that the dual functions of cylinders 5 and 8, of serving as operating cylinders and structural columns, present an extremely compact, rigid and economical structure. At the same time a relatively simple mode of operation of the press is effected without reducing its efllciency or effectiveness in any way. I

In the modification of Fig. 3, cylinders 30 and ll are supported on a spacing block 32 and secured by bolts 33 to base 34. A ram cylinder is formed in-base l4 and receives a ram 35 having a table It slidably guided in guideways 31 secured to the inner faces of block '32 and cylinders 30 and II. This modification-diners from the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in that cylinders 30 and II are disposed at a higher elevation than the a crosshead 38 supported on the upper ends of cylinders 30 and ii to carry a downwardly projecting chamber forming member 39. This chamber forming means has a lower removable portion 30' bolted to the upper portion 39 and also laterally bolted as at 40 to the cylinders 30 and SI. A shield 4| is slidably supported on the lower end of portion 39 and also engages the guideways 31. A piston 42 is of any suitable 40 shape in plan view to conform with the shape of material chamber 43 and is removably secured by bolts or otherwise to a piston rod 44 in turn secured to a movable crosshead 45. Piston rods 4! are attached to this crosshead, their pistons 5 41 being reciprocated in cylinders 30 and 3| by hydraulic fluid pressure supplied from any suitable source such as a pump or the like.

The mode of operation of this Fig. 3 modification is the same as the form shown in Figs. 1 50 and 2, and hence the description thereof will suffice. It will be noted, however, that in both forms the heads 2| or 42 may be disassembled or removed from their piston rods I1 and 44 respectively by first removing the nuts on the upper 5 ends thereof and then moving the pistons and piston rods downwardly through the lower open end of the material chambers, the ram tables 4 or 34 being left in their lowermost position to permitaccess to the heads 2 l'or 42; If necessary, the lower portion 39' of the Fig. 3 form may be removed to insure even greater accessibility to,

head 42 for repair or replacement thereof. As

a result of thisimproved arrangement it is not to dismantle the machine as by diso5 connecting rams il or 44 from their crossheads It or 4|, this advantage being in addition to those previously herein set forth,

It will of course be understood that various cylinders in the Fig. 1 form,thereby permitting changes in details of construction and arrange- I ment of parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention asset forth in the appended claims. I claim: i 1. A hydraulic press comprising, in combination, a base having a ram actuated movable platen, a plurality of hydraulic cylinders supported at their lower ends by said base and having their axes substantially parallel to that of said ram; a stationary platen having a material chamber extending therethrough and supported primarily by said cylinders in spaced relation to said base, the lower end of said chamber being open but adapted to be closed by said movable platen, a ram in said material chamber extending through the upperend thereof substantially axially of said other ram, a movable crosshead at the outer end of said material chamber ram, reciprocable pistons in said cylinders having piston rods extending through the upper ends of said cylinders for connection to said movable crosshead, means associated with the upper ends of said cylinders for guiding said piston rods during reciprocation thereof, and means for admitting operating fluid into the upper ends of said cylinders to move the pistons therein downwardly.

2. A hydraulic press comprising, in combination, a base having hydraulic cylinders supported thereby, a ram actuated movable platen disposed between said cylinders and movable axially thereof, a stationary platen supported primarily by the upper ends of said cylinders, a material chamber associated with said stationary platen and having a lower open end disposed in axially spaced relation to said base but adapted to-be closed by said movable platen, a material ram disposed within said chamber and extending through the upper end thereof, reciprocable pistons in said cylinders having piston rods extending through the upper ends thereof, a movable crosshead located above said stationary platen and connecting said material chamber ram to said piston rods, means associated with the upper ends of said cylinders for guiding the piston rods during reciprocation thereof, and means for supplying operating fluid to the upper ends of said cylinders to move the pistons therein downwardly.

3. A hydraulic press comprising, in combination, a base having a plurality of cylinders supported thereby and projecting upwardly therefrom, a stationary platen supported primarily by said cylinders in spaced relation to said base, a 

